I agree with Lebowsky. Classic Shell's improvement of Windows user productivity is first-rate ... work which is surely deserving of a reasonable shareware purchase contribution by all its users, including myself. Well done!

I was in a position to find a new laptop for my mother who is not computer savvy. Her previous laptop had Windows 7, and I knew she would be confused and frustrated like myself by Windows 8. I needed to make her new laptop look and function as much like Windows 7 as possible. With the help of Classic Shell she really likes her new laptop. Without your software that would not have been the case. Thank you very much.

yeah dudes... holy shit and a half pardon my french but i have to thank you guys.... i was using some crappy program called pokki that did a weak emulation of the classic start bar we know and love (and also was keen on getting me to buy "apps" for it, which seems to be the ethos/logos of just about every program these days: LONG LIVE THE WALLED GARDEN!!!!) and ever since i went to classic shell i've never looked back.

whoever made that windows 8/8.1 fade-to-black icon for the start menu in that subforum knocked it out of the park as that gives me the style to go with the functionality of this program. it's literally my first second or third download when i get a new computer/laptop with windows 8/8.1 going, because i can't fathom how anyone could ever want to hit the windows key (itself a replacement for the proper ctrl+esc that we used to be used to.. but think about the juice microsoft has to essentially decide "hey we're putting our own button on the standard PC keyboard" and now it's a way of life as ctrl+esc is down to one key) and end up in metro.... why? this isn't a tablet or a phone.... this isn't android or some bastardized version of windows. this is the bloated remnants of the glorious operating system that we've used for ~20something years (with win2kpro being the apex. why i remember that time i once ran my computer for 1.5yrs without rebooting, and keep in mind i did a lot of direct3D/openGL gaming back then. now if you leave comptuers on that long hard drives crash and burn because they're designed to keep you buying a new one every ~2-3 years like cellphones do. god forbid that the template for 21st century computing seems to be following computerphones/tablets (i abhor the term "smartphone" cuz i dont need to be patronized like OOOH IM SO SMART FOR HAVING ONE OF THESE when i talk about my electric candy bar gizmo / mark of the beast in my pocket) and well, yeah, we can at least fight back (for the time being) thanks to good good people like yourself.

and in the case this is all some elaborate CIA/NSA front to take advantage of our unwillingness to change and get us to run 3rd party software that enables remote control of our computer..... this is all some elaborate ruse to take control of my comptuer)

anyways idk what the latin for "i babble therefore i am" is so again just wanna say thx cuz guys like you and oldversioncom and whatnot are what stephen colbert would term "it getters" and well, yeah, you make my comptuer like 500% more usuable as i'm able to hit the windows key and type in c:\path\subfolder\executable.exe and load my programs..... cuz idk who the hell uses the start menu folders and/or desktop shortcuts.... but if you dont know where your programs are stored and what the exe is called, welp, metro is waiting for you babydoll. catch the wave!

This is the difference between new windows 8 users absolutely hating windows 8 and not. Microsoft should incorporate this into an official release. The work is already done for them. Windows 8 is now awesome with this add on. Much more practical to use and much more productive.

I found Classic Shell while searching for a way to get a non-transparent taskbar in Windows 8.0 (other stuff I'd tried didn't work right or wouldn't hold settings correctly). That was all I wanted, at first, and I didn't think I needed the other parts of Classic Shell and I was prepared to ignore them. But...

Then I discovered the "Classic Explorer" part of Classic Shell. Wow! I love how it lets me customize so many aspects of how I want my files/windows/etc to appear. For instance, this might seem trivial to some, but it's important to me: Classic Shell lets me fine-tune/adjust the "tree item spacing", in the Navigation Pane part of the preferences - that is so cool! I tend to have lots of nested folders to organize my files, so this particular feature makes it so I can see more files in less screen real-estate.

So then I started investigating other aspects of Classic Explorer and found lots of other useful settings and adjustments. It's so much easier to navigate around Windows with all the custom stuff that Classic Shell makes possible.

I never thought I'd say this, but - because of Classic Shell - I actually like Windows 8 better than Windows 7 or even XP Pro (I used to think XP was the greatest thing in the PC world, despite the XP hassles with ordinarily running as a non-Admin for security reasons). But now, thanks to Classic Shell, I feel like I'm essentially able to choose the best features of all those OS's and combine them into one easy-to-use computer.

So I no longer have to dread or procrastinate about buying new computers when necessary, because as long as Classic Shell lets me customize stuff the way I want to, it's all good.

Which reminds me, I've been meaning to donate but I kept forgetting, so I will do that on payday. I consider Classic Shell to be absolutely essential, to tame Windows 8 and restore peace and harmony to my computing experience. Classic Shell makes all the difference in the world.

Just THANK YOU! The tiles or whatever they are called, were pretty confusing. If Microsoft was trying to emulate Apple, it failed miserably. I'm a Mac, but have to use a PC at work, where I spent more time Googling for "how to"s than I did actually working! My employer thanks you too!

Thank you, thank you. I hope Microsoft realizes that perhaps the biggest reason Windows 7 has remained popular and why many are refusing to move to Windows 8/8.1 is the disappearance of the traditional Start menu. Now I must thank Classic Shell team for what they have done. And this is given out free of charge? Awesome, awesome. Matter of fact, Classic Shell even does more than the Windows classic Start button does. What's more, it doesn't really change how your PC works; it just add a very useful shell. Again, Awesome, awesome!

Posted at DonationCoder: Re: What the Heck is Happening to Windows? Article on Windows 8 DisasterMany thanks to the people in this discussion thread who referred to Classic Shell. As a result of their comments, a couple of days ago I went ahead and installed it for a trial.Most of the things that I dislike (and that's putting it mildly) about Win8 are related to poor ergonomics and the superfluous Metro eye-candy and and its kludgy functionality in the UI. Those aspects of the OS are backward steps - but the OS otherwise seems very good.However, pretty much all that I disliked is swept away by Classic Shell. It seems to be very stable too - which is a mandatory requirement for an OS interface (in my book, at any rate).Perhaps the biggest bonus of Classic Shell for me is in the restoration of the very good Win7-type Start Menu and the instant search of my indexed documents and OneNote files when anything is typed into the Search box. This had completely disappeared in Win8 and was driving me batty - and lots of other OneNote users as well, judging from the comments in many of the OneNote discussion forums.Classic Shell- definitely a keeper.

Classic Shell is the neatest thing since Band-aids! It and Classic Explorer are the best tools to overcome the restrictions of Win7! I will definitely donate after payday!! Thanks so much to the developer for these great programs!! Were it not for tools like these I would be switching to Mac, because Win is too restrictive - they shouldve kept XP!!

I have always built my own desktop computers in the past. But I relocated to a tiny town from Portland, OR, and was spoiled by all the vendors in Portland. There are none here to buy computer components (motherboards, memory, drives, etc...) I found myself in a quandary. Now, having said that this town has limited outlets for hardware, we do, of COURSE, have a WAL-MART. (Where our workers can't afford to shop, and STILL the cheapest place in town!) So I purchased a desktop Gateway system, all set to go. And guess what? It came with WIN 8. I had read/heard about how disappointing the new 'gem' from MicroStuff was, but figured I could get used to it. Well, it was so distasteful to me, that after I set the desktop up, I proceeded to use my old laptop for most of my pleasurable work. THEN! I stumbled upon mention of Classic Shell on the 'Into Windows' website. I thought 'what can I loose?' So I downloaded, and couldn't be more thankful!! No, there was NOTHING to loose. What I didn't expect was how much I'd gain. Thank You, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!! Clearly, a lot of thought and appreciation for esthetics went into this product. I don't know how anyone could produce such a brilliant product, and then turn the thing loose for FREE! Unless, as implied earlier, some nefarious CIA connection is present. AH, what the hell. They already listen to everything we say on the phone, and text, and e-mail. Who cares? In a country where freedom seems to have been given a backseat to "security" (Albeit false security) by the mindless majority in our ever dumber and dumber populace, I don't even care if you are a CIA shill. Much appreciation to all those who created this masterful solution. MicroTalent certainly shows less appreciation for its captive audience than you folks do. Very nicely done. Maybe TinyLimp (er, sorry. Microsoft) will toss you guys a few million for the rights to your product.

I've been involved with computers since the '80's and am on staff of multiple Windows / Computer support sites. I only mention this to point out that I've seen the best and worst in hardware and software over the years. I can comfortably say that yours is among the best - especially considering the price (donation on the way). Thank you very much.

Big thanks for this program - my mom got a new computer recently with Windows 8 on it - I don't think she would have been able to deal with it with all the changes without it, but now she can boot to the desktop and have a normal start button.

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise though - now there is this better start button with more customization options. I wonder how many MS employees are using it...

Great application. Using it on several Win7 machines. Not enough to make me use Win8. No app is that good Would be awesome if it also removed the "Show Desktop" button in the tray.

Yes I would recommend Windows 7 over Windows 8 regardless of Classic Shell. For removing the Show Desktop button, you can use 7+ Taskbar Tweaker from http://rammichael.com/7-taskbar-tweaker. It's been around for just as long as Classic Shell and fixes everything related to the Taskbar that Microsoft messed up.

Just wanted to express my gratitude for those who have worked on this project. Classic Shell made my life MUCH easier while migrating my parents from 7 to 8! Thank you! Muchoa gracias! Merci beucoup!Something like Classic Shell may seem like a simple thought which leads to a small action for most folks but I feel differently. If we had more people in the world who enjoyed helping others it would be a better place for all . I made a small donation, wish I could donate more - cheers!-Karmahkid-

Really improved my productivity with this classic shell. and even the printers and device section using old xp style. really help for setting up my computer for my personal use. Really-really use full. I wonder is there any version for windows 8?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I waited until it was absolutely necessary before buying a Win8, which I need for work purposes. Thanks to Classic Shell, I'm now pulling a lot less hair out of my head and actually, almost, sort of starting, to get some work done, almost. Sincerest thanks for restoring some sanity to this hideous thing which should be called "Windows H8". Some people actually pronounce the H of eight, so it's perfect.

until i found this site, its a big thing to me allowed me to use a pc/laptop and make it user friendly (and looks better). the tiles the apps... wtf go away M$

i read alot of people saying the only reason you guys have done this is because your stuck in the past and dont like change, and stubborn as a mule.

but i say a few things to these people:-

its a very thought out design and is really user friendly that allows me to turn it on or off, and can even interact with the app (so improves M$ version)

We cant all wanting it for comestic retro reasons because look at the new skins you guys are making, this makes us user feel ahead of the game not behind it; the last skin i just seen was the Starcraft one i mean looks good! im sure there many more i need to search to find x.

lastly to the haters! - its my choice deal with it because i have

i need alittle more dollar in my bank and i donate to you guys this weekend that laptop raped my bank balance lol

I'm new to the party here guys and girls but I'd also like to extend a huge THANK YOU!! from the bottom of my heart for the excellent software you make.

I got a new PC recently (ordered it in May, took delivery in first week of June) with Win 8.1 and I asked for Win7 as I didn't particularly fancy the tiles on my PC, the girl at the shop assured me it'd be fine as I'd have Win 8.1 and something called "Classic Shell"...When I set my PC up and tried the software I was blown away by how great and easy to use it was - everything I know and love from XP came back to my new system.

Once again, thankyou from a very happy Desktop user.

PS. have recently got an older version for my Dad's Vista laptop to give it some added character (doesn't stop Vista sucking balls tho').

Hello everyone! I'm Brazilian and I must say that I resisted for many years to abandon XP. I just did it now thanks to CS, so I think Microsoft should reward CS because it made ​​it easier migration to Windows 7/8. Even if it's what they want (third party to working for free for them), to lose users by laziness to make a customizable product is nothing productive.

Classic shell is an amazing piece of software that does exactly what I want/need it to do and more. I would like to thank the developers and users for their hard work and dedication to making this my go to app for my specific needs.

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